This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-277817, filed Sep. 13, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mount structure of a reproduction control button in a notebook type personal computer having a multimedia reproduction function.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a notebook type personal computer, there has been introduced a variety of multimedia functions including a function for reproducing a music, and then outputting a sound by a personal computer""s speaker, and a function for reproducing a moving picture, and then displaying the picture on a display, for example.
In order to achieve these multimedia functions, a CD-ROM drive, DVD-ROM drive or the like is mounted on a personal computer. In the case of reproducing a music, a compact disk having music data stored therein is inserted into the CD drive, and a user can enjoy music reproduction by operating the personal computer""s keyboard, mouse, dedicated reproduction control button, and the like. Similarly, in the case of reproducing a moving picture, in general, a DVD disk is inserted into the DVD drive, and the user can reproduce a moving picture by operating the personal computer""s keyboard, mouse, dedicated reproduction control button, and the like.
In this way, although the user can enjoy reproduction of a music or moving picture on the personal computer, in the case of the notebook type personal computer, its display device is connected turnably to its main body, and such display device is closed or opened. A personal computer of such kind must be normally used while the display device is opened in order to expose the keyboard and display screen. However, the display screen is essentially unnecessary to reproduce a music.
In recent years, there has been disclosed in European Patent Publication EP 0 875 818 A3, for example, that music reproduction control can be carried out even while the display device is closed.
In this example, a slip shaped portion that is not covered even while a display housing is closed in a main body housing of a portable computer is provided at a front portion. At this front portion, a plurality of buttons and a speaker grill for music reproduction are provided. With such a configuration, a CD-ROM is inserted into a CD-ROM drive while the computer""s cover is closed, and a music can be reproduced. In addition, the speaker grill is exposed even if the computer""s cover is closed, thus preventing the mute of sounds generated from the speaker disposed under the speaker grill.
However, in the above described prior art, a slip shaped portion must be provided redundantly at the front portion of the main body housing. Thus, there has been a problem that downsizing is impossible, which is indispensable in a portable computer requiring space reduction.
Currently, as a music or moving picture storage medium, in addition to a disk medium such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, there is introduced a communication medium distributed via Internet or the like. This communication medium is obtained by the user after downloaded over Internet through a network. Unlike such CD-ROM or DVD and the like, the communication medium is compressed by the computer""s hard disk device, a memory card, or the like (for example, in a MP3 scheme). Therefore, it has been necessary to select a reproduction application because applications are different from each other for media.
Conventionally, a control button is not provided so as to correspond to a variety of these music media. Therefore, in the case of reproducing a music medium other than CD-ROM, the corresponding music reproduction application software is initiated by means of the keyboard or mouse while the display is opened, and music reproduction control must be conducted while the user keeps watching the display screen, which has been a very complicated operation for the user.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device configured so that a display portion is rotatably provided as in a notebook type personal computer, in which, even if the display portion is closed, a button capable of controlling music reproduction can be mounted in a small space.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device corresponding to a variety of music media with their different recording systems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a portable electronic device comprises a main body comprising an input section provided on a surface thereof and incorporating a content recording section; a display section comprising a display surface facing to the information input section and rotatably mounted on the main body; and an operating button configured to control reproduction of contents stored in the content recording section and provided at a portion on the surface of the main body which is not covered by the display section even if the display section is closed.